Don't Hit That Mailbox
by XxSephFanxX
Summary: The nerve-wracking day has come - Cloud's going out for his driver's license. And it doesn't help that the man of his dreams, Sephiroth, is the exam instructor. Of course nothing bad will happen, right? SephxCloud. Dedicated to CloudedMirror89!


**Here's a random fic I came up with in driver's ed class. This was written using my limited driving experience, so hopefully it's okay! **

**Special thanks to CloudedMirror89 and Tobi Uchiha for editing and giving me great ideas! ^^ You guys are the best!**

**WARNING: SephxCloud, like usual. =P**

**Enjoy! =D**

* * *

The day most frequently anticipated by 16 year olds everywhere had finally arrived for Cloud:

Today was the day he was going to get his driver's license.

_Hopefully_, he reminded himself as he sat in the lobby nervously, fiddling with his hands. He didn't want to get cocky before the exam started, but he knew it wasn't good to be too anxious either. If his nerves got the better of him, he was bound to mess up for sure.

Cloud gave the dingy clock on the wall another glance. Any minute now, his proctor would come out and call him out to the parking lot to start the test. It couldn't be much longer now; he was the only one left in the lobby, save for the woman behind the desk who was furiously typing away on her computer and cracking her gum rather loudly.

Since Cloud was now in the Academy, the driving exams were administered by ShinRa. And by some miracle, Zack had been free from any assignments that morning, so he had tagged along to the driving center to help Cloud review. Zack's laid-back attitude had helped calm Cloud's nerves, but Zack had been called away for something, and Cloud was now alone.

A row of pictures on the wall next to him caught Cloud's eye. Each of the driving instructors had their picture framed on the wall, with a little gold name plaque underneath. He was surprised to see that his commanders at the Academy were among the proctors. Didn't they have enough to do at ShinRa already?

Cloud studied each picture of his commanders. He knew he probably wasn't going to have Commander Hewley as his proctor – he had already called someone else out for the exam. So he would either have Commander Rhapsodos or –

Cloud's eyes froze on the last picture, and he felt his cheeks grow hot. General Sephiroth looked absolutely _gorgeous _in his picture. His silver hair was draped over his broad shoulders, and it shimmered perfectly. His flawless face looked serious, but there was a faint hint of a smile on his lips. Cloud stared into his eyes, and realized that his gaze was just as mesmerizing as it was in real life.

Suddenly a door swung open, causing Cloud to snap out of his daydreaming. He turned to find his classmate Reno in the lobby, not looking terribly happy. A few moments later Genesis staggered in, his eyes wide and a look of sheer terror on his face.

"I didn't drive _that_ badly, did I, sir?" Reno protested, pouting as Genesis leaned against the desk to stabilize himself. "I passed, right?"

Genesis turned to face Reno and shook his head, a horrified look in his eyes. "Absolutely not."

"Damn." Reno jammed his hands in his pockets and headed out of the lobby, his red spikes bouncing with each step.

Once Reno had left, Genesis let out a sigh and brought his attention to Cloud.

"You're Strife, aren't you?" He asked, still visibly shaken from his horrific driving experience with Reno.

"Yes, sir," Cloud nodded.

"Your proctor will be here shortly," he informed the blonde. "General Sephiroth's on his way."

Cloud gasped, but it went unnoticed by Genesis. His proctor was going to be the General. How the hell was he supposed to concentrate on his test if the most beautiful man he had ever seen was going to be sitting right next to him? What if he got in an accident? He couldn't bear think about being responsible for hurting the General in some way.

Genesis pushed himself off the desk and turned to face the Cadet. "He might be more sadistic than usual today, just to warn you." He sighed. "Good luck, you're gonna need it." He then muttered something about a headache and then disappeared into a room that said "Instructors Only."

Cloud froze. What the hell did that mean? _More_ sadistic than usual?

_Yay_, he thought miserably. That couldn't be good.

Despite what Genesis had just told him, Cloud closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. No matter how gorgeous or sadistic General Sephiroth was, he couldn't afford to get distracted. He was going to focus on his driving and nothing else until the test was over. He was ready for this thing.

"Strife, Cloud?"

Cloud's eyes snapped open. As if on cue, General Sephiroth stood before him, a clipboard and pen in his hands.

As beautiful as his picture was, it just didn't fully capture the beauty that the real General Sephiroth had. He was dressed in more casual clothes than usual, and also wearing a pair of rimless glasses.

"I'm Strife, Cloud!" Cloud chirped without thinking, jumping up from his seat.

"Right." Sephiroth gave him an odd look. It took Cloud a moment to realize he had just said that out loud. Despite the General's godlike appearance, Cloud could tell by his body language that he was in a bad mood.

Cloud mentally slapped himself on the forehead. He hadn't even gotten started yet, but already the driving test wasn't going so well.

"Follow me," The General instructed, turning on his heel. He disappeared out the door that Reno and Genesis had come through. Cloud did as he was told, and he found himself in the parking lot behind the building.

Sephiroth led him over to a light blue car, which had the ShinRa logo printed on the sides.

"Get in," he told Cloud, not even bothering to look at him. Cloud obeyed, and Sephiroth walked around the front of the car to the passenger door.

Once both were inside the car, Cloud realized he was absolutely terrified. The little pep talk he had given himself hadn't seemed to have helped him, and to make things worse, the General was in a bad mood. What else could go wrong?

"Your original proctor, Kunsel, had an emergency so I'll be filling in for him," Sephiroth told him, not sounding at all pleased. Cloud was surprised – it was the first complete sentence the man had said all day.

_Now _Cloud understood why the man was in such a bad mood – Sephiroth was probably spending his lunch break filling in for Kunsel. Knowing that didn't help to calm Cloud down at all.

Sephiroth adjusted his glasses and held the clipboard up so Cloud couldn't see the paper. "First we'll start with the oral questions."

Cloud now felt a little bit relaxed; he had spent the last few days studying for this part. When it came to test questions, Cloud had no problem. "Yes, sir."

"What is the maximum speed limit of the Midgar area?" The General asked, his pen uncapped and ready for Cloud's answer.

"70 miles per hour," Cloud answered without missing a beat.

"Good," Sephiroth marked something off on the paper. "On a highway, do you pass on the left or the right?"

"Pass on the left," Cloud replied, feeling calmer. He could ace this part, no problem.

"Right again," Sephiroth told him. "How many passengers are you allowed to have in a vehicle?"

"As many passengers as there are seatbelts," Cloud answered confidently.

"Very good, Strife." The General praised him, but Cloud could tell that his mood hadn't improved any.

Sephiroth asked several more questions, all of which Cloud answered correctly. After the last question, the car got eerily quiet except for the sound of Sephiroth's pen scratching on the paper. Cloud watched him patiently, entranced by his beauty. How was it possible that anyone could be as flawless as the General was?

"Good job, Strife. You've passed the oral test." Sephiroth rested the clipboard on his lap and but kept the pen ready in his hand. "Are you ready to start the driving portion of the exam?" He pulled out a set of keys from his pocket and held them out to Cloud, and for the first time, made eye contact with him.

"Yes, sir," Cloud squeaked, captivated by the General's beauty. Cloud felt himself becoming brainwashed as he stared into the General's emerald eyes and had to break off his gaze to keep himself focused. A rosy tinge began to burn on his cheeks as he realized that the keys were still warm from being in Sephiroth's pocket.

"Okay, you may begin." Sephiroth told him, adjusting his glasses again. "What is the first thing you should do?"

Cloud completely froze up. He tried to pull an answer out of his blank mind. "Umm… pass on the left?"

Sephiroth paused. "…You've already completed the oral test, Strife."

Cloud snapped out of his stupor and tried to focus. "Oh, right," he mumbled stupidly. Now everything was coming back to him. He put the keys in the ignition and started the engine, reluctant to take his hands off the keys that radiated the General's body heat. He then adjusted all of the car's mirrors so that he had a clear view in each one.

"There you go," Sephiroth commented as he scribbled something down on his clipboard. "Now what?"

Cloud then reached behind himself and pulled the seatbelt across his body, making sure he was buckled in. He was just about to shift into reverse and back the car up when General Sephiroth let out a loud, almost fake-sounding cough. Cloud paused and reluctantly looked back over at the General, knowing that he would become distracted all over again.

Sephiroth shifted in his seat and cleared his throat again, and Cloud realized that the man wasn't wearing his seat belt.

"Sir, you need to put your seatbelt on before I can start driving," Cloud told him politely.

"Hmm…," Sephiroth brushed his silver hair over his shoulder, and Cloud nearly fainted. "I don't feel like it today."

Cloud couldn't believe what he was hearing. What kind of driving instructor didn't feel like wearing a seatbelt? If they got in an accident, the General would go flying through the windshield, and Cloud did not want to be responsible for _that_. And besides, not wearing a seatbelt was just plain dangerous anyway. "But sir, I can't start driving until you have your seatbelt on," Cloud protested, his voice wavering slightly.

To Cloud's surprise, Sephiroth gave a faint smirk. "Good, Strife. I've failed a lot of students for not doing what you just did."

Cloud stared back at the General, completely at a loss for words. Sephiroth took note of the Cadet's expression and began to laugh as he reached for his seatbelt.

_Well, this is great. _Cloud couldn't believe his luck; things had been going from bad to worse before, but now they were just getting plain weird. It didn't help that he had been stuck with the most sadistic driving instructor of ShinRa, either.

"Now you can start," Sephiroth told him once he was buckled in.

Cloud took a deep breath. _This is it, _he told himself as he shifted the gear into reverse and took his foot off of the brake pedal. He backed the car up neatly, not even coming close to hitting the cars parked on either side of him.

"Go straight," Sephiroth commanded him once Cloud had completely backed out of the parking spot. "We'll go out on Main Street."

Cloud followed directions and drove towards the parking lot's exit, making sure to obey the stop sign at the corner. Main Street wasn't at its busiest hour, but there still a lot of cars out on the road.

"Turn left," Sephiroth instructed him, leaning forward in his seat to observe traffic.

Cloud inched up slowly, looking both ways for a break in the flow of cars on the road. After a few cars passed him, an opening came, and he took it. He pulled out and made a neat left turn –

But forgot to use his turn signal.

Sephiroth hadn't missed it. "Saving that turn signal light for the car inspection portion, are we, Strife?" He asked icily, scribbling something negative down on Cloud's paper.

"I-I-uh," Cloud stammered, shocked by his own mistake. "I forgot." Never in his year of extremely careful driving had he ever forgotten to use his turn signal. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me," Sephiroth replied as the car behind them angrily sounded its horn at Cloud. "But that's 10 points off on your test already."

Cloud gulped. "How many am I allowed?"

Sephiroth adjusted his glasses again. "Thirty."

Cloud nearly jerked the wheel. If he messed up two more times, he could forget about getting his license today.

"Turn right at this light up here," Sephiroth commanded as the traffic light ahead turned yellow, interrupting Cloud's worrying.

Cloud nodded and began to slow up at the intersection, and remembered to use his right turn signal. He arrived at the white line on the pavement just as the light changed to red, performing a textbook example of stopping at a red light.

"Good," Sephiroth noted, writing something down on the exam paper.

After a few more moments of waiting, the light switched to green, and Cloud made the turn effortlessly. They were now on a less-crowded road, lined with houses and stores.

As they were approaching a supermarket ahead, Sephiroth suddenly swore, startling Cloud.

"Strife, pull over to the side. We were supposed to do the signal inspection before you started driving." He frowned down at the clipboard. "Why the hell do they keep changing the exam papers?" He muttered to himself, clearly annoyed.

Cloud immediately flipped on his turn signal and pulled up to the side of the road, where he would not be in the way of any traffic on the road.

Cloud put the car in park and turned on the hazard lights, so other cars on the road would know he was pulled over. Taking a deep breath, Cloud relaxed his hold on the steering wheel. He hadn't realized he had been gripping onto it so tightly. It was a wonder it hadn't snapped in half yet.

With a sigh, Sephiroth pushed the door open and walked around to the driver's side of the car, clipboard in hand. Cloud put his window down all the way so he could hear the General's instructions.

"Ready, Strife?" Sephiroth asked. "Just do what I tell you."

"Yes, sir." Cloud nodded, readying himself.

"Headlights."

Cloud switched on the headlights.

"Good. High beams?"

Cloud turned the switch one click higher.

"Okay. Windshield wipers?"

"Yeah." Cloud turned the switch on the column, but it went one click too far. The windshield cleaner sprayed instead. A badly-timed gust of wind blew the cleaner all over Sephiroth, spraying the man right in the face.

"Oops," Cloud squeaked, mortified. Quickly, he switched the windshield wipers on. Sephiroth glared at him for a moment, then took his glasses off and began to wipe them on his shirt.

"I was getting to that, Strife," was the General's cold reply.

"I'm s-sorry, sir." Cloud apologized, his voice barely above a whisper. He was _so_ dead.

Sephiroth wiped his face off with the back of his sleeve. "Forget it. Brake lights?"

Cloud stepped on the brake pedal. Sephiroth peered over to the front of the car, then nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Parking brake?"

Cloud pushed the parking brake pedal down with his foot until it clicked. Sephiroth peered into the car to look at the dashboard, unknowingly letting his hair fall onto Cloud's shoulder. Cloud felt an urge to reach out and touch the beautiful silver hair, but he managed to restrain himself. Once Sephiroth was satisfied, he stood back up. "Good. Turn signals?"

Cloud flipped the left signal on first, then the right signal. Sephiroth made several checks on his clipboard.

"Very good, Strife. You've completed the signal inspection portion of the exam."

Cloud breathed a sigh of relief, two parts of the exam down, and just one more to go.

"Very good." Sephiroth told him again before he crossed back in front of the car, but then stood up on the curb. Cloud put down the passenger's window so he could hear him.

"Strife, pull the car up a little bit," Sephiroth instructed, pointing forward. "I want to check something."

Cloud put his hand on the gearshift, then froze. The exam rules _specifically_ said that he wasn't allowed to drive the car unless someone was in the car with him. "I can't, sir. I'm not allowed to drive unless you're in the passenger seat."

"Strife, it's just five feet," Sephiroth argued. "You can pull the car up."

But Cloud didn't move the car an inch. "Sir, I really can't pull up until you're in the car!" he protested, taking his hand from the gear to prove it.

Sephiroth sighed, clearly annoyed. "_Strife._ Just pull the frigging car up," he growled, anger flashing in his eyes. "Or I'm failing you right here."

Cloud felt tears well up in his eyes as he argued again. "But I'm _not_ allowed, sir! It says so in the exam rules! _And_ the book! I _saw_ it! It says I'll fail if I move the car when you're not in it!"

Sephiroth continued to stare at him. "Strife, are you going to believe a sheet of paper or your actual driving instructor?"

Nothing was making sense to Cloud right now. "But…but…" He stammered, his mind too confused to work properly. "If I fail this thing, it's_ your _fault!"

The General's expression changed from angry to completely unreadable. Cloud hadn't meant to go quite that far.

To add to Cloud's confusion, Sephiroth started laughing. "Very, very good." Cloud stared up at him, dumbfounded. Sephiroth realized this and began to assure the Cadet. "It's okay, Strife. I'm not going to fail you."

"You…huh?" Cloud's mind couldn't process what was going on. Sephiroth seemed to sense this as he sat back down in the car and buckled himself in.

"No, Strife. You obeyed the rules like you were supposed to. Most people would have caved in and pulled the car up just because I told them to. And then I'd fail them for _that_. Very good judgment."

Cloud turned his head, still fighting the tears back. "But sir, you said you'd fail me if I didn't pull the car up!"

Sephiroth smirked. "That was to test whether you'd do what you should have done, or what I was telling you to do."

Cloud pouted. "Sir, that was cruel."

Sephiroth sighed. "Maybe it was. But you're the most amusing student I've ever had, Strife. It's hard not to tease you a little."

_Amusing? _"Should I take that as a compliment or an insult, sir?" Cloud asked, but Sephiroth just laughed. Then he realized that he sounded like he was _flirting._

_Knock it off,_ he warned himself. Now was _not _the time for that. He shooed the improper thoughts from his head.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way, Strife," Sephiroth assured him, settling into his seat. He lowered his voice slightly. "It's just…cute when you get worked up like that."

Cloud almost slammed on the brakes. Sephiroth stared straight ahead, as if something on the road had suddenly become interesting.

"Anyway, you've passed the signal inspection test. Are you ready to start the driving part where we left off?" The General asked, breaking the awkward silence between them.

"Yes, sir," Cloud answered,

"Good. You can pull out now," Sephiroth told him.

Cloud noticed that the General's mood seemed to be improving. But he was getting more sadistic than usual; did that mean that it would get worse as the General's mood got better? He hoped not.

After the lane was clear, Cloud merged back into traffic and continued down the road. There were several sharp turns and cars parked all along the sides of the road, but it was nothing Cloud couldn't handle. Sephiroth occasionally commented on his impressive driving, but mostly remained quiet as they traveled down the road.

"Strife, would you like to earn bonus points?" Sephiroth suddenly asked him after he yielded to a group of pedestrians on the crosswalk. "To make your score look better."

Cloud was once again confused. "But the rules said you can't earn any extra points, sir," he told the General.

Sephiroth sighed. "Well, if you don't want to improve your grade…"

"No!" Cloud nearly shouted. "Wait, what kind of bonus points, sir?"

"Well, Strife," the General brushed his hair from his shoulder, "My house is coming up ahead on the right after this light. If you'd like me to ignore the fact that you've had your hazard lights on for the last five minutes without any reason, then pull up to my driveway and let me get my mail."

Cloud gasped and glanced down at the dashboard. Sure enough, the hazard light indicator was on. "Sir, why didn't you _tell_ me that?" He blurted out, then immediately wished he hadn't said anything.

Sephiroth scoffed. "Because you're supposed to be paying attention, Strife! This is a driving test. I'm not going to point out your mistakes for you."

How had Cloud _not _noticed that his hazard lights were on? This had to be one of the stupidest mistakes he'd ever made while driving. "Y-yes, sir." He quickly switched off the hazard lights.

Cloud was confused. Instructors were strictly _forbidden_ to give bonus points to students. It was part of the whole no-forgiveness exam layout. If you screwed up, you were screwed. That's how it was. "Sir, do you offer bonus points to all of your students?"

Sephiroth twirled his pen in his hand as he stared out the window. "No one's ever gotten far enough in the test to earn them."

Cloud's jaw dropped. Hadn't he been a driving instructor for like, _years?_ "You've never passed _anyone, _sir?"

Sephiroth sighed. "Nope." He put the pen back on the clipboard. "It gets boring after a while, failing everyone all the time. But none of them were experienced enough to earn their driver's license."

Cloud felt much more confident now. He had gotten the farthest in the test out of any of the General's students; that _had_ to mean something.

The traffic light ahead was green, so Cloud didn't have to worry about slowing down. He put his turn signal on and was just about to pull over when-

Suddenly, an oncoming green van swerved towards him, avoiding a trash can that had blown out into the road. Cloud gasped, and Sephiroth swore again and clutched onto the seat. The van blew its horn at Cloud, but it was too late to do any good.

Cloud's first instinct was to pull over to the right to avoid getting hit. He turned sharply to the right, and the green van missed him by inches. He and Sephiroth were fine – until Cloud spotted a bicyclist coming towards him, startled. He turned the wheel even more to avoid the biker, who narrowly swerved around Cloud.

The turn was so quick that Cloud lost control and drove right up onto the curb. The car jerked when it went over the cement, forcefully throwing Cloud and Sephiroth forward. Cloud slammed on the brakes, and the car slowed to a halt.

Cloud watched angrily as the green van sped away, not even bothering to stop and check if they were okay. Cloud caught a glimpse of the driver flipping him off, like it was _his_ fault the trash can had gotten in the way. The car continued down the road before coming to a quick stop at the red light.

"What an _ass_," Sephiroth growled, throwing the car door open. "Hang on." Cloud began to open his mouth to say something, but quickly decided against it.

Cloud watched from his rearview mirror as Sephiroth stormed across the street, heading right for the green van that was stopped at the red light. He couldn't see the General's face, but knew he was definitely pissed off. As he approached the van, the driver rolled his window down and began shouting at the General. But then his expression changed, and he suddenly became terrified and held his hands up in defense as the General launched into a rage-filled argument. Sephiroth waved his hands in the air wildly, clearly not able to control his anger.

Just before the light changed to green, Sephiroth crossed the road and headed back towards Cloud. He could have _swore_ he saw the General give the driver the finger, but it was hard to tell from his angle.

Sephiroth walked to the right of the car and froze, staring down at the ground in front of the car. Cloud panicked; before he had stopped the car, her remembered feeling something under the tires. Had he hit a fire hydrant? Or…an animal? The thought caused him to tear up, and he threw his car door open and ran to the front of the car to see what damage he had done.

The General's mailbox lay on the ground, completely crushed in. Magazines, bills, and important–looking envelopes labeled with the ShinRa logo were scattered all over the ground, but most were floating in a gross mud puddle by the curb.

"I-I'm sorry, sir!" Cloud cried, horrified. The General was going to _kill_ him for this. A sinking feeling came over him; there was no way he would pass his test now.

"It isn't your fault, Strife," Sephiroth sighed, even though he was clearly angry that his mail had been ruined. "I just hope none of those ShinRa envelopes were _too_ important."

Cloud wanted to die. "I-I failed my test, didn't I?" It was more of a statement than a question.

Sephiroth sighed, then looked away. He didn't say anything for a few moments, but he seemed to be contemplating something.

"You didn't fail."

Cloud froze. _"What?"_ He couldn't believe it. "Sir, I don't understand. I almost got in an accident, nearly hit a bicyclist and then went off the road and ran into a mailbox! Isn't that like, an automatic fail right there?"

Sephiroth shook his head in reply. "Wait a minute, Strife. You weren't at fault for anything when the van came towards you. You did the right thing by swerving out of the way. If you had slammed on your brakes, the car behind you would have rear-ended you. And the bicyclist wasn't your fault either; swerving was the right thing to do. And besides, he was on the wrong side of the road."

Cloud was still puzzled. "But, the mailbox? I could have avoided that, couldn't I?"

Sephiroth tilted his head to the side. "Could you?"

Cloud thought for a moment. "No."

"Accidents happen, Strife. It's not always easy to avoid them. In the situation that just happened, there would have been an accident either way. But your actions and judgment caused the least amount of damage."

Cloud stared up at the General in awe. "So… did I pass, sir?"

To Cloud's surprise, the General reached over and rested a hand on his shoulder. It took Cloud everything he had to keep from fainting on the spot. Sephiroth's eyes met his, and Cloud couldn't tear his gaze away. At first he thought that the General was just going to give him an appreciative pat on the shoulder for his good work, but there was something oddly…affectionate about the General's sudden behavior. Cloud felt his cheeks grow hot, and he hoped the man wouldn't notice.

Sephiroth grinned as he stared down at Cloud, unconsciously making the blonde's heart flutter. "You've demonstrated the best driving ability I have ever seen from a student. I'll let you pass, but on one condition."

Cloud was beyond flattered. "What's that, sir?"

Sephiroth's grin turned into a smirk as he took his hand from the Cadet's shoulder. "You come by on the weekend and fix my mailbox."

Cloud gave the General a smile. "Yes, sir."

* * *

"Excellent, Strife."

Cloud pulled into the available parking spot, relieved to be back at the driving center. The car had a large dent in the hood from the accident, but Cloud had been able to drive it back. Once he was satisfied with his parking job, he turned the ignition off and handed the keys to the General, who stuffed them into his pocket.

"Well, Strife," Sephiroth began, filling the awkward silence in the car. "Good work. You're now the very first student I've ever passed."

Cloud grinned in excitement. He half-expected confetti to shower down on him or something, but nothing happened.

Sephiroth smiled, sensing the Cadet's eagerness. He handed his exam paper to Cloud, and nearly expected him to keel over from his excitement. The paper had a big fat checkmark across the top, the first Sephiroth had ever given.

"T-thank you, sir!" Cloud beamed, the reality of his accomplishment just sinking in.

Sephiroth smirked. "Do you know what the reward is for being the very first student to pass the test?" he asked, and Cloud's eyes widened.

Cloud was puzzled. Wasn't passing the test already enough of a reward?

"This." Before Cloud knew what was going on, Sephiroth leaned forward and kissed him.

Cloud paused, taken completely by surprise. He then slowly rested a hand on the man's shoulder, and Sephiroth's silver hair tickled his hand. His skin prickled as the General delicately cupped his cheek, and then ran his fingers through his blonde spikes. He then wrapped an arm around Cloud's lower back, drawing him in closer and deepening the kiss.

After what seemed like an eternity, Sephiroth pulled back from the kiss slowly, his emerald eyes sparkling. "Is that enough of a reward for you, Strife?"

Cloud nodded slowly, still intoxicated from the kiss. Sephiroth grinned again.

"I'll be expecting you on Saturday." He told the flustered Cadet.

"Of course, sir," Cloud replied after a moment, still in shock from what had happened.

"You know, if you do a good job of fixing the mailbox," Sephiroth shifted in his seat, "I'll give you a reward for that too."

Cloud gave the General a smile. "Yes, sir."

Sephiroth chuckled, then opened the car door and stood up. Cloud did the same, but his legs wobbled as he stood, the after-effects of Sephiroth's kiss still holding influence over him.

The General entered the back door, and Cloud followed, entranced by how Sephiroth's hair flowed behind him like a cape. "This way." Once they were inside the building, he led Cloud over to the desk. "The secretary will help you with the rest."

"Failed another one, huh?" Angeal stopped his conversation with the secretary as they entered.

"No. Strife passed," Sephiroth explained, and the man's jaw dropped.

"That's crazy," Was all Angeal managed to say.

Sephiroth smirked, then turned his attention to Cloud. "Congratulations on passing your test, Strife. I'll see you this Saturday." And with that, he disappeared into the Instructor's Lounge.

Cloud sighed happily as he clutched the exam paper in his hand.

Angeal patted him on the back, still in disbelief. "That's amazing. You're lucky, Strife." Then he winked. "Gonna have a good weekend driving around now, huh?"

Cloud smiled to himself. He was going to have a _very_ good weekend.

But first he'd need to figure out how to fix a mailbox.

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading! ^^ I hope you enjoyed the story! **


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